Who Shall Separate Us From The Love of Christ?—Romans 8:35-36

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (Romans 8:35-36)

If anybody could write this encouraging word to us, it would be the Apostle Paul. Paul had such a revelation of grace that he was convinced that nothing could separate us from God's love. He saw it in all things and experienced it in every situation. That is why he wrote to us to tell us that God is the one who justifies us, Jesus is the one who intercedes for us, so base upon this, nothing could remove us from this position of favor and blessings with the Lord.

Circumstances in life certainly could not separate him from the love of God. Paul had the most revelation of any of the Apostles. Even over those who walked and talked with Jesus and yet he faced the most persecution and opposition because of it. Everywhere he went his revelation of the Lord caused such a stir because a massager of Satan followed him from place to place to buffet him ( II Corinthians 12:7 ). He knew the power of God and the love of God and it kept him going in the face of such resistance. He even wrote concerning this, "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" ( II Corinthians 12:9 ). He knew the secret to strength, that was resting in the Lord and in his might power. He went on to say, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" ( II Corinthians 12:10 ).

Paul quoted the Old Testament scripture from Psalm 44 in regards to the persecution he faced. "Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered" ( Psalm 44:22 ). This is because Paul and his companions literally faced death in every town they went to. They were beat, imprisoned and even stoned for the sake of Christ. Yet he said it was for our sake they faced such things so that we could understand God's love for us. He wanted the world to know the truth that is in Christ Jesus. Because of this severe opposition to the message, he encourages us that nothing can separate us from this love, not trouble, not hardship, not persecution, not famine, not nakedness and certainly not danger or sword.

In today's society, we do not face any of these things on behalf of Christ. However many of our brothers and sister through out the world do on a daily basis. Yet a time is coming when even in America we will face persecution and death because we are believers. Through all of this, it is so important to sure ourselves up in the Love of God. To be fully convinced that nothing we face in life can separate us from God. Nothing man can do to us can nullify what Christ has already done for us. As born again believers we must get a revelation of God's love for us so that we can join with those who went before us fully convinced that we will forever belong to the Lord and nothing will change that. Getting this eternal perspective in life will change how we live and breath today. May the Lord quicken to your spirit this wonderful truth, amen.